I have a 400G EHD by Seagate and its great. It stays cool really well and I've never had a problem with it (knock on wood). I have no clue how much it cost (DH bought it) but I know they're out there for pretty decent prices.
Also, I'm going to start backing up to DVDs every couple of months. Its just better to be safe than sorry. I lost all of my digital photos once (only got a few back) and I'm still emotionally scarred from that experience. Its devastating to lost things that are irreplacable, ya know?
No matter how you back up, just be sure to do it. There's only heartache for those that don't.
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